When I think I am getting somewhere on pedal steel, I put on some Speedy West. That makes me get out the shovel to bury the steel in the back yard. Looks like I need to get out the shovel to keep working on that hole...

When I think I am getting somewhere on pedal steel, I put on some Speedy West. That makes me get out the shovel to bury the steel in the back yard. Looks like I need to get out the shovel to keep working on that hole...

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Of course Speedy didn't pedal but it was sick what he got out of those 8 strings!

I play a double neck 8 string and I think my brain would burst if I tried to add the complexity of the pedals and knee levers!

Phil was a true great, as was Bryant, Travis, Thumbs...a steel player once made me a copy of a vinyl lp, Buddy Emmons at a steel guitar show with Phil joining him on his set. Totally unreal. I need to find it, convert it and upload it. Here's to keeping the memory of these guys alive!

Of course Speedy didn't pedal but it was sick what he got out of those 8 strings!

I play a double neck 8 string and I think my brain would burst if I tried to add the complexity of the pedals and knee levers!

Click to expand...

He did pedal, just not like modern players (which makes him a GENIUS!). Check it out:

It is unknown to me which tunings Speedy West used before playing a pedal steel guitar. Although Speedy already saw Little Roy Wiggins playing with Eddy Arnold in a tent show in 1946 and without a doubt would have heard Jerry Byrd play on some records, there is nothing known about Speedy wanting to play like them. Joaquin Murphey was Speedy's idol and as Joaquin was playing in western and swing bands, Speedy probably adapted one or two (or maybe even three) tunings from him. When helping Paul Bigsby developing the pedal system for the Bigsby steel, Speedy must have spent many hours puzzling on his first pedal setup. As Speedy is mostly pictured playing his front neck, I guess that must have been his favourite neck. Analysing the tuning and setup of that neck may lead to confusion. However, after a close look, one will discover that Speedy's front neck was tuned to F#9. The first 2 pedals, at least of Speedy's later guitars, changed the top of the tuning to B6th. It was not exactly the way Bud Isaacs would change the E9th to A6, but Speedy's first 2 pedals were split! One story about Speedy tells that on that first Bigsby pedal steel he released certain pedals to get a change instead of pushing these. This is just the other way around comparing it with the way most players use a pedal steel. Speedy was a true pioneer and had no examples on pedal steel. The second neck, at least of Speedy's later guitars, was tuned to E9th. Both the tuning and the setup of the first pedals of it were almost similar to what Bud Isaacs used. The pedal functions of Speedy's E9th were not "split" and changed the tuning to A6th. This brings us to some interesting questions: Did the 4 pedals of Speedy's first (triple neck) pedal steel work on the front neck only, or did some of them work on one or two of the other necks? Did Speedy already have an E9th tuning with pedals on that guitar or did he use the "classical" E13th (like most non pedal players did)? If he used the E9th with pedals, did Bud Isaacs instinctively come up with the same tuning and setup or was it Paul Bigsby who suggested him to use it? We will probably never know all the answers, but fact is that Isaacs "invented" the country pedal sound. As Speedy had been toying many times with his pedal guitar, it would be natural that Speedy would have discovered the same effect if he had used the E9th tuning with the E9th to A6th change.

He did pedal, just not like modern players (which makes him a GENIUS!). Check it out:

It is unknown to me which tunings Speedy West used before playing a pedal steel guitar. Although Speedy already saw Little Roy Wiggins playing with Eddy Arnold in a tent show in 1946 and without a doubt would have heard Jerry Byrd play on some records, there is nothing known about Speedy wanting to play like them. Joaquin Murphey was Speedy's idol and as Joaquin was playing in western and swing bands, Speedy probably adapted one or two (or maybe even three) tunings from him. When helping Paul Bigsby developing the pedal system for the Bigsby steel, Speedy must have spent many hours puzzling on his first pedal setup. As Speedy is mostly pictured playing his front neck, I guess that must have been his favourite neck. Analysing the tuning and setup of that neck may lead to confusion. However, after a close look, one will discover that Speedy's front neck was tuned to F#9. The first 2 pedals, at least of Speedy's later guitars, changed the top of the tuning to B6th. It was not exactly the way Bud Isaacs would change the E9th to A6, but Speedy's first 2 pedals were split! One story about Speedy tells that on that first Bigsby pedal steel he released certain pedals to get a change instead of pushing these. This is just the other way around comparing it with the way most players use a pedal steel. Speedy was a true pioneer and had no examples on pedal steel. The second neck, at least of Speedy's later guitars, was tuned to E9th. Both the tuning and the setup of the first pedals of it were almost similar to what Bud Isaacs used. The pedal functions of Speedy's E9th were not "split" and changed the tuning to A6th. This brings us to some interesting questions: Did the 4 pedals of Speedy's first (triple neck) pedal steel work on the front neck only, or did some of them work on one or two of the other necks? Did Speedy already have an E9th tuning with pedals on that guitar or did he use the "classical" E13th (like most non pedal players did)? If he used the E9th with pedals, did Bud Isaacs instinctively come up with the same tuning and setup or was it Paul Bigsby who suggested him to use it? We will probably never know all the answers, but fact is that Isaacs "invented" the country pedal sound. As Speedy had been toying many times with his pedal guitar, it would be natural that Speedy would have discovered the same effect if he had used the E9th tuning with the E9th to A6th change.

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Good info.

It sounds like he used the pedals to change tunings but not when he was playing?

I don't really hear any pedals being employed while he's playing. I might be missing it but...

What struck me about Phil's playing in that video was how he wrestled so many varied tones from a single guitar. Each passage had a distinct sound. Tone is in the fingers? I'd say that vid is a good argument towards yes! Freakin awesome player!! The only "fast" guitar playing I like is country - it doesn't bore me to tears like metalized shred.

BTW, what's with that guitar he was playing??!! Looked like a double neck Mosrite mando/guitar number. Pretty funky looking!